Listeria outbreak from cantaloupe melons kills 13 in US

A listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes from Colorado has killed 13 people and infected 59 others, US health officials have said, The Guardian reported.

So far 18 states had reported infections from one of the four strains of listeria involved, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said.

Of the 13 deaths, four were in New Mexico, two in Colorado, two in Texas and one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

The company issued a recall on 14 September of its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes. The fruit was shipped to at least 17 states.

Listeria bacteria thrive in low temperatures. Outbreaks are usually associated with deli meats, unpasteurised cheeses and smoked refrigerated seafood.

People with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable to listeria. Pregnant women are 20 times more likely than healthy adults to get listeriosis and people with Aids are nearly 300 times more likely, the CDC says on its website.